


A Personable Nature

by allineedisaquill



Series: Better Late Than Never [1]
Category: Ghosts (TV 2019)
Genre: Apologies, Canon Compliant, Emotionally Repressed, Feelings, Fluff, Friendship, Introspection, M/M, Nicknames, Post-Episode s01e06 Getting Out, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-07 10:32:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19083244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allineedisaquill/pseuds/allineedisaquill
Summary: “The Captain had not failed to notice, over the years, that Pat had a grating habit of giving people nicknames. The Captain also knew he was not fond of the habit, not one bit.”





	A Personable Nature

**Author's Note:**

> My hand slipped after a brief conversation on the Ghiscord and whoops, here's some Captain/Pat to think about.

The Captain had not failed to notice, over the years, that Pat had a grating habit of giving people _nicknames_. The Captain also knew he was not fond of the habit, not one bit - he found it annoying at best, tasteless at worst, and he much preferred to use people’s full names. They were given for a reason, after all.

The younger man had been the one to give Katherine her nickname of Kitty, which of course had immediately stuck with the entire household, and Thomas had even become Tom on a few occasions. Pat even used a shortened version of his own name.

If he were to pry deeper into his knee-jerk response to every instance of diminutives, the Captain would perhaps find it was the personable nature of them that he found most disagreeable. He was too used to keeping people at arm’s length; where he was concerned, he had yet to even spare his _own_ full name to the ghosts, which he supposed made him somewhat of a hypocrite.

In his defense, he claimed to be many things, but perfect was never one of them. He was only human, after all - well, the ghost of a human at least, and if his back still ached in the afterlife then it was basically the same thing as far as he was concerned.

The silver lining was that Pat didn’t know his name, and moreover, by nature he was more likely to call him ‘sir’ than anything else - the Captain was sure the man was physically incapable of insulting someone, whether it be their personality or authority. He was just like the rest of them; too soft for his own good. With that in mind, the Captain was certain that he was safe from falling victim to the man’s need to be chummy with absolutely everyone.

It took the Captain quite by surprise, then, when Pat completely defied that certainty one day.

After the plague pit incident, Alison and Mike had all but demanded some space. They had relented and given them disc two of _Friends_ purely to get them out of their hair for a while.

Pat must have noticed how the Captain had quietly retreated away from the group as the others had settled in to watch, because he found him a short while later taking a rare moment of solitude outside on the grounds.

He approached the Captain with cautious steps and hands clasped behind his back.

“I think I should apologise,” Pat said, stopped beside the taller man.

The Captain regarded him with an expectant but guarded expression.

Pat had the decency to look sheepish. “Kitty told us that you heard. I mean, I didn’t exactly join in with what the others were saying, but-” He stopped himself and held his hands up. “No, no, you’re still culpable, Patrick,” he scolded himself, a hand to his chest, then he met the Captain’s eyes again. “We shouldn’t have talked about you behind your back, and no one should have said hurtful things. We should know better, and if we have our differences, we should air them out like grown-ups who are stuck together for eternity should do. I’m really sorry, Cap.”

If he hadn’t been reminded of the blunt home truths he’d overheard earlier in the day, the Captain might have almost felt some pride at Pat using his own full name for once.

As it stood, however, he _was_ reminded - and he hoped Pat’s keen eye hadn’t seen the flash of vulnerability cross his face. He held onto his swagger stick a bit too tightly for a moment.

“Yes, well,” the Captain said as he rocked on his heels and pursed his lips. “I’m a big boy, Patrick. I can handle a few slights. God knows, I’ve heard much wor…”

As soon as the Captain trailed off with narrowed eyes, Pat registered what he’d said moments before, and the Captain noted the unhidable expression which clearly read, _“Oh blimey, I’m in for it now.”_

Pat held his breath for the stern rebuke, but it never came.

For all that the Captain had silently berated this particular tendency of Pat’s, when he found himself suddenly - and for the first time - on the receiving end of it, he had no desire to reprimand him for it. It was frightfully strange and an unexpected warmth took hold of him briefly. He felt... _good._ He would even go as far as to say he wouldn’t be averse to hearing it again sometime.

Of course, he wouldn’t be caught dead - quite literally - making anyone else privy to that fact.

“Sorry,” Pat whispered, who still sported a worried look.

The Captain shook his head minutely. His gaze dropped away somewhere. “No, it’s- It’s quite alright... _Pat._ ”

It took a conscious restraint to use the hypocorism willingly, but it was easily worth it when his friend’s face brightened - albeit with some hint of surprised puzzlement - and his moustache lifted as he smiled at him.

“Oh, that’s good then,” Pat said cheerfully, and he seemed so _happy_ with that turn of events.

The Captain’s smiles weren’t a rarity by an means, but sharing one with Pat at that precise moment made it click in his mind that there had been some unspoken barrier of familiarity that, as easy as anything, Pat had managed to cross. The Captain didn’t even know _why_ he was smiling so earnestly, eyes mellowed and crinkled at the corners as they were, but his body was acting of its own damned accord. He also knew himself well enough to know that if it had been anyone else, the rebuttal of the nickname would have come without hesitation, and yet an unassuming scout leader had found a blind spot, a _soft_ spot, and he was very apprehensive about that indeed. His stick twisted anxiously in his grip.

The idea that the man could get away with something others couldn’t should have been alarming, and the fact that it _wasn’t_ should have been more alarming still. As it happened, though, the Captain found it all made rather a lot of sense. Of _course_ it was only Pat who could call him something as ridiculous as “Cap” and get off scot-free. Of course it was.

“We’re watching _Friends_ , if you fancy joining us. We can budge up and make room on the sofa,” Pat offered, and if his slightly higher voice betrayed the subtle hopefulness to it, neither of them elected to comment on it. There was already too much to unpack in their brief interaction without reading into something more. He could only handle so much at once.

The Captain, keen to be back with the others so he could feel less exposed, gestured back at the front door with his stick, arm outstretched.

“After you, then,” he said.

Pat’s smile lingered for a moment more, wordless, before he turned on his heel, and the Captain followed him back into the house with the strangest feeling lodged stubbornly in his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> Like it? I feel myself kinda compelled to write more for these two. Comments/kudos are appreciated, and you can always come talk to me over at bbcghosts.tumblr.com!


End file.
